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Xaverian Missionaries live in the midst of the Kayapo’ of the Upper Xingu
River as part of the Indigenous Ministry of the Diocese of Altamira, headed by
Bishop Erwin Krautler.
Fr. Zezinho Leoni, s.x., who has lived with them for several years, through this interview will share with us an insight into the way of life of the Indios, their beliefs and social structure. The indigenous way of life has been threatened, diminished, and in many instances extinguished, by contact with the whites. They still see it being threatened by the continual encroachment upon their lands and ways by the greed of the so-called “civilized” and their lack of respect for the indigenous culture and dignity. What the Indios saw on TV on Sept. 11th, its aftermath and response, is for them a symbol of what’s been happening to them for more than 500 years. And it’s scary to them.
A missionary in the Amazon for over 3 decades, Fr. Pino Zezinho Leoni, s.x., has been living in the village of Moikarako with the Kayapo’ Indios for the last five years. He has experienced their life which is characterized by a unique closeness and connectedness with nature. And he has witnessed the constant and often destructive encroachment of “our civilization’ on their land, environment and culture. For the last 500 years the policy of the national government has, more often than not, exploited them and cause their near genocide and extinction.
Fr. Zezinho, how do you see the situation of the Indios in Brazil today?
I
will let the Indios of Moikarako themselves answer this first question.
Last year, in April, a rumor spread in the village that the Brazilian
government was going to do away with the FUNAI, the agency which represents them
in Brasilia. The Indios understood
this as another policy of the government unfavorable to them.
They gathered in the “Warriors’ House” (sort of village hall),
called me in and an elder-chief dictated this letter:
“The Indios’ community of Moikarako wants to keep its own culture and does not wish to mingle with the white man. We Indios are in charge of this land. We were born here first. The white man came later. He has pushed us inland up to here. But he does not own the land. We do. The government has contacted us. Many words. Much confusion. We do not take over “the house of the government.” We do not take over other peoples’ land. We stay on our land and we want it to be respected. We will continue to deal with the government about health and education because we Indios are Brazilians. This is what we, the warriors of Moikarako, reunited in council, wish to declare.” The letter was signed by all the chiefs and warriors present.
The Kayapo’ are an indigenous people who want to retain their identity. They are well organized and they have a firm social structure. At the root of their resistance and of their growth in numbers these last 30 years is their spirituality which comes through especially in their feasts which are always well prepared and celebrated with much solemnity according to the cycle of the seasons.
The symbolism of these feasts harkens back to the myths of primordial eras made present in the rites through which life is reenacted and renewed. Of course, these are pre-Columbian cultures which have survived for thousands of years.
Governments and the UN declare stones and ruins of ancient monuments as patrimony of humanity. And these peoples are living monuments, living stones. They are part of Brazil’s original stock. The culture and the values of these peoples are also patrimony of humanity.
We
know that you have been living with the Kayapo’ for several years.
What led you to make this choice?
Erwin Krautler, Bishop of the Prelacy of the Xingu, on a recent visit to our village,
said “Here the Word has become flesh and has planted his tent in the midst of
this people.” By his words the Bishop has confirmed me in my ideal of
mission and the reason fo my choice, to be a witness of the Love of the Father
here and in the reciprocity proper to the Indios to be an instrument in the
sharing of the gifts.
What
values have you discovered in the life and the culture of the Indios?
Many
are the values which have surprised and enlightened me.
Here I can only give a few examples.
These peoples are living monuments, living stones. They are part of Brazil’s original stock. The culture and the values of these peoples are also patrimony of humanity.
The word of the elder. Almost every day at dawn an elder, holding the “borduna” (a heavy wooden scepter, symbol of authority) walks around the village circle and, in a loud voice, directs the community in the tasks of the day, such as fishing, hunting, the ritual dances, all in the light of the ancient ways and myths. Everyone listens. Also the children stop their games and run home to listen to the old “Kupato”
The participation of all in the making and in the carrying out of decisions, as for example, in the choice of a spot and the lay-out of a new village, to everyone’s satisfaction.
There is no dichotomy between the sacred and the profane. I would say that everything – space, time, the person, the group – is all sacred. On arriving to a village you don’t find a specific place or structure for worship. Neither is there a particular day in the week to pray. But the whole lay-out of the village – almost a circle – in in fact a temple. At the center there is the “Warriors’ Hut.” In the morning the men singing set out to hunt or fish. The women, who work in the fields, paint themselves so as to better communicate with the Spirit present in the forest, in the river, everywhere. At night they dance and sing the “me-toro”, the myth of human flight. Life is a feast!
Sharing.
The land belongs to all. And
to all belongs whatever the land, the rivers, and the forest offer. There is private property, the family has its home, its
field, its utensils, but only to serve for the common good. For example, not all will be successful, but the fruits of
the daily hunt or fishing, of the planting and of everyone’s work is shared by
all. No one is left out in need.
The education of children is a community task. Uncles and aunts, godparents, grandparents, all have an important role to play in the growth and formation of a child. Children play all day. In their games they imitate the adults… Traditions, always respected, distinguish the Kayapo’ society and from childhood, the individual grows and reaches maturity breathing the life of the community.
The greatest sin is to speak ill of others. When the village chiefs catch vibes of some gossip in the air, they call all to a gathering to clarify things, and this cuts short and at the root any discord and division.
What
about your work of evangelization?
Fr. Raimundo, a Mexican, and I form the small Xaverian community, and we try to live
the Christian example. We take turns in the liturgy and in the kitchen.
First thing in the morning, in the hut the Indios have built for us, we
celebrate Mass. The Indios say that we are “Metindjwynh ma kaben” (Talking
with God). Our door is always open,
anyone who comes in, stays in silence and respect.
Our day proceeds according to the tasks assigned in the morning in the “Warriors’ House.” These last few months we have helped in the rebuilding of the village which had been destroyed by fire. Before we taught school.
We don’t miss the occasion to share their feasts and in the long preparations for the celebrations. We share life in the fields, fishing, teaching, building, playing soccer, (Raimundo who is young… I stay with the spectators!), dancing, singing, in health and malaria, in tiredness and patience,… in all trying to live united with God, between the two of us and with all the Indios.
And
you, what does this lengthy contact with the Indios give you?
Living
together with the other is the daily challenge which obliges one to get out of
oneself to accept the other who is different, to build with him brotherly rapports,
in this case, from the point of view of the brother and sister Kayapo’, of the
world, culture and values.
To start again every day, to accept, to serve always: all this is a goal, and every step toward it is a growth. It is a privilege to live with the Kayapo’, and be an instrument of the Lord’s presence who wants, He Himself, to be recognized and accepted as Kayapo’. Indeed God lives with the Indios and loves them.
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)